Technology Brings Couples Closer

A report just in time for St. Valentine’s Day by the Pew Research Center’s Amanda Lenhart And Maeve Duggan finds that as digital technology becomes more and more of a fixture in Americans’ daily lives, its influence is affecting all sorts of domains, including how people meet, communicate with their romantic partners, and manage their lives together. The report looks at how couples in committed relationships use technology to manage their digital and offline lives, and also whether couples think technology has enhanced or detracted from a sense of intimacy and connection with their partner.

The focus of this report is on couples who are in an existing marriage or other type of committed relationship, describing themselves as:

• Married (47% of Americans are currently married)1
• Living with a partner (6% of Americans fall into this category)
• Not married or living with a partner, but are currently in a committed romantic relationship (12% of Americans are in a committed relationship of this kind)

The researchers note that 66 percent of the American public that falls into one of the three categories listed above, and found that technology plays a prominent role in the lives of partnered Americans.

For example, among those who are married or in a committed relationship:
• 88% use the internet (as do 85% of American adults)
• 71% use social networking sites (as do 72% of all internet users)
• 93% have a cell phone (as do 91% of adults)

The report examines the role of these technologies in the lives of Americans, noting that
the Internet, cellphones, and social media have all become key actors in the lives of many American couples who are married or in committed relationships, and who use technology in both little and large moments. They negotiate over when to use it and when to abstain. A portion of them quarrel over its use and have had hurtful experiences caused by tech use. At the same time, some couples find that digital tools facilitate communication and support. A majority of those in couples maintain their own separate email and social media accounts, though a smaller number report sharing accounts and calendars. And fully two-thirds of couples share passwords.

Ten percent of Internet users who are married or partnered say that the internet has had a “major impact” on their relationship, and 17% say that it has had a “minor impact.” Fully 72% of married or committed online adults said the internet has “no real impact at all” on their partnership.

Seventy-four percent of the adult Internet users who report that the Internet had an impact on their marriage or partnership say the impact was positive, but 20 percent said the impact was mostly negative, and fpur percent said it was both good and bad.

You can find the report here:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/11/couples-the-internet-and-social-media/

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